Crowd Throngs State House Lawn, Joining Trump Protests Nationwide

For the second weekend in a row, a large crowd gathered Sunday on the State House lawn in Providence to protest the administration of President Donald Trump.

Chanting "No ban, no wall" and other slogans, the crowd, estimated to be about 2,000 people by rally organizers, heard from more than a dozen speakers, all condemning the Tump's executive order on immigration.

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo addressed the president directly.

"President Trump, the people of Rhode Island stand strong against your religious test and against the Muslim ban," she said.

Trump's executive order, issued Friday, banned travel to the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries and suspended the admission of refugees for 120 days. The order bars Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Trump denied that it was a ban on Muslims. In a statement released Sunday, Trump said, "This is not about religion -- this is about terror and keeping our country safe."

Referring to the suspension of refugee programs and an executive order aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said these were "the acts of an insecure bully." Speaking at the Sunday protest, Elorza continued, "These are the acts of a hateful administration that must be stopped."